The fanart that gave me the idea of Hajime using a taser to summon Izuru:

There was another one but I lost it ;-;

and

....

I remembered that I had this idea for the Toko and Nagito fight last chapter but I forgot about it and now I'm mad at myself.

mMMMm time to think of another event where I can shove it in.

Then again, I could always use it for the Demon AU...
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So you died and you never told me.

Hajime sighed, rubbing his temples while kicking the door closed with the sole of his foot. He had just finished explaining what had happened to him to the voice inside his head.

"Can we talk about this another time? Komaeda's bleeding out for heaven's sake." Hajime snapped, placing
g the Grim Reaper on the bed.

I'm your brother. I expect you to tell me important things like your death.

Hajime ignored his older brother's demand and rummaged through the drawers to find the first aid kit.

Mikan was always an option, but bringing Nagito anywhere with Mikan close by made Hajime uneasy. He didn't want the albino to have anything to do with the nurse.

He snatched the kit from the third compartment, rushing back to the bed to treat Nagito's wounds.

His hands fumbled over the roll of bandages, unable to properly place them on the Grim Reaper.

Izuru sighed in exasperation, taking control of Hajime's limbs and mind.

Here. Let me.

Hajime's arms started moving by themselves, expertly cutting bandages and applying ointment to the gruesome wounds.

"Stop flexing your talents," Hajime attempted to roll his eyes.

Izuru finished swiftly with a snip of the medical scissors and receded back to the corner of Hajime's mind.

It's going to scar, but besides that, he'll heal.

Hajime exhaled in relief, pulling the covers over Nagito's frail body. He then took a seat next to the sleeping albino, placing his arms on the bed and resting his head in them.

You love him... don't you?

"Love is a really strong word, Izuru," Hajime mumbled sleepily.

Then you admit you harbor feelings for him?

Hajime kept silent, hoping that his brother would drop the topic and let him sleep.

Fortunately for him, Izuru did not utter a word, letting the brunet's eyelids droop.

Sleep tight.

~

Delicate fingers caressed Hajime's scalp, rousing him out of his slumber.

It was a comforting feeling, one that made him want to fall back asleep. Just when he was about to, a voice in his head snapped him awake.

Enjoying this, are we?

"Shut the hell up," Hajime snapped groggily.

The fingers in his hair suddenly stopped, much to his disappointment.

"Oh hey, Komaeda. You're awake." Hajime rose from his slouching position, smiling softly at the Grim Reaper.

"Who were you talking to?" Nagito's eyes slid toward his.

I get why you didn't ask for me in a year, but you've never told anyone about me? Shame.

"Oh, and I was supposed to say, 'Hey guys, look! My older brother's voice is stuck in my head because we share the same body! Fascinating, right?'" Hajime shot back sarcastically.

Then start by telling Komaeda. He's very perplexed and concerned right now.

"I just did." He turned to Nagito with an apologetic look. "I'll explain more later. How do you feel right now?"

Nagito tried sitting up, but he gasped and winced when he did.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy. Your back took the most damage." The mafia lord said, helping the albino into a sitting position, placing pillows to cushion his back.

"Where are my glasses?"

"They... broke." Hajime fished the eyewear out of his pocket, the lenses shattered and the metal bent.

Nagito looked at it feebly, then took it in his hands and placed it by his side.

"Who took control of your body?"

"What?"

"During the fight."

Hajime never did like talking about his past. It was tragic and he never wanted to remember it.

"Then tell me what Toko was talking about when she said that Grim Reapers died the saddest deaths."

Nagito turned his head away at the mention of the word 'death', his knuckles turning white as he clutched the bedsheets. He was shaking slightly and biting his lip to stop his mouth from trembling.

Noticing his discomfort, Hajime placed a hand on Nagito's shoulder, rubbing it soothingly.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I'll tell you mine first, okay?"

Hold up.

What the heck was he doing? He hadn't once told anyone about his past, and yet here he was, about to spew out his tragic history in front of a person he had known for approximately a year.

But something about Nagito's demeanor told Hajime that the albino had suffered much worse of a fate than Hajime had.

Inhaling, Hajime didn't hesitate as he began.

"I was only five when everything around me crumbled. My life, my future, and my wishes. Annihilated. Destroyed by none other than my parents." Hajime swallowed dryly, then continued, his voice wobbling a little.

"One day when my parents were out, a fire started in the house. My older brother and I were in the house at the time the fire broke out. His name was Izuru Kamakura, last name different because of our parents had remarried.

I don't know how the fire started or what caused it, but all I could remember at that time was the suffocating feeling of smoke. Of course, being the younger one I was, I didn't understand how to act during a fire and panicked, yelling for my mom and dad.

Izuru was ten at that time, and he had found me in my bedroom, crying my eyes out. He took control of the situation and dragged me through the burning house and to the front door. But when we arrived, the ceiling above was collapsing.

Izuru pushed me out the door before... before the wood fell on top of him, and he was gone. Just like that.

My parents weren't one bit worried about me. Funny enough, they blamed me for Izuru's death, because you see, he was the prodigy. The pride of the family. He had many talents, aced in school, and surpassed the expectations my parents had for him.

As for me, I was a disappointment. I had no talent or passions, except for getting into Hope's Peak Academy, a prestigious school. I was a failure.

The death of my brother drove my parents mad. Insane even. They went to such great lengths that they called professional surgeons and paid them a heap of money to place Izuru in my body.

I wanted to make my parents proud, to have them praise me for doing something. So I agreed."

Hajime stopped, briefly glancing at Nagito before averting his eyes at the ground.

"The operation... The operation was unsuccessful. They managed to combine our minds, but in the process, the stress was too great and..."

He blinked rapidly, tapping his fingers on his thighs.

"And I killed everyone in the room. I fled to the slums and lived there with Izuru stuck inside my head until a man came to me, offering shelter and food for a small price.

My discolored eyes and the conversations I had with myself intrigued him, and I gratefully agreed. What can you say? I was half dead, half alive. I needed food and water before I passed out.

The small price was to join his mafia in exchange for all of these comforts. He taught me how to hold a gun, how to fight. Of course, Izuru did all of these things better than I did, but I managed to learn some myself.

Over time, I managed to control Izuru, and he learned to control me. Whenever I was in a crisis, he would simply press a button in my brain and switch places with me. Our two personalities merge, and this happens."

Hajime pointed at his eyes, one red and one green.

"It stays there for a while until Izuru retreats to his place in my brain. Until then, his voice is stuck in my head, and I have no way to ignore him.

So after I managed to control my two personalities, the man who had taken me in, the don of this mafia, died. A bullet through the head by another mafia leader.

I was taken by disbelief, and anger consumed me. I took charge of the mafia, threatening anyone who didn't follow me.

Then... Then, I killed the person who had killed the man who had taken me in. I slaughtered him to an extent to which the people of my mafia feared me.

Me, a ten-year-old child. A ten-year-old who took a small mafia and turned it into the main source for drug and illegal dealings." Hajime laughed dryly.

"Well, there's my story. It's not that tragic, though. Sorry for disappointing yo-"

Harm hands wrapped around his, taking Hajime by surprise.

Nagito's eyes were sympathetic, and he squeezed Hajime's hand tighter.

"I'll tell you mine, then." He spoke softly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I don't really need to know about it-"

Nagito drew circles on Hajime's palm, silencing the male.

"I lived in the 1700s. I don't exactly remember when. Back then, I lived in a small village next to a forest, where prey was plentiful. Everyone was happy. I was happy.

Until my parents died. I don't know how. They simply... disappeared one day and never came back. And I knew it was my fault. Everything was my fault. I was cursed from the very first second I was born. Devil spawn, they called me."

Nagito stopped tracing circles, his finger placed idly on the center of Hajime's palm. He bit his lip, then continued hesitantly.

"I had the curse of luck. A good and bad luck cycle. Sometimes good luck would happen to me, followed by a horrendous event that would balance out the effect.

I was hated by the village because of this. Up until then, my parents were respected in the village, so no one dared question their child who had been born with abnormal hair color and a curse. But I could always feel their eyes on my back, their whispers that lingered in the air.

When my parents died, the whole village turned on me. They kicked me out of my house, made me sleep in the center of the village. Winter was the worst. I slept under the snow, hoping it would keep me warm as it did for the dogs.

One day, a group of the villagers' children came up to me, grabbing me harshly by the wrist and tugging me to the riverbank.

I panicked, thrashing as I tried to beg them to release me.

They spat at me, throwing insult after insult.

One of the boys took some rope and wood, tying me to the ground, my arms and legs apart. Another one of them stuck a knife through my hand, then dragged another down my legs. They laughed as they passed the weapon around, each drawing a new scar into my body.

I remember the pain. The blinding pain. It hurt, Hajime. It hurt so much."

Nagito's hands were trembling, his shoulders shaking violently. Hajime itched to hug the albino, to say that he wasn't going to let them hurt the albino again. But he let Nagito continue, his heart aching as the story progressed.

"They even gagged me with a piece of fabric so no one could hear me.

And then... and then they dunked my head into the lake multiple times. The water was well below zero degrees and my face went numb. They shoved my head under once. Twice. Three times. Each for multiple seconds, if not minutes.

Finally, they got bored and tossed my body into the center of the lake, where the water was deepest.

I drowned. They left me there. No one came, Hajime. No. One. Came."

Nagito's voice gave out on the last word, and he started sobbing, trying to muffle the pathetic sounds coming out his mouth.

His hands brushed away his tears rapidly, turning his head so that Hajime wouldn't be able to see him cry.

Honestly, it took him by surprise when the Grim Reaper started crying. When he first met Nagito, the male radiated superiority and confidence, and over the months, had become the strongest person Hajime had ever known.

Even stronger than himself.

Watching Nagito break down made him feel useless. He couldn't do anything to stop the tears even if he tried.

"Hey, Nagito. Nagito, look at me." Hajime said forcefully. He placed his hands on the other's shoulders to get him to pay attention.

The use of his first name took Nagito off guard, and his hands fell to his lap as he turned his head toward Hajime.

Tears dribbled out of his stormy eyes, turning the skin around it puffy and red. Nagito looked like a broken doll, one that hadn't been shown enough love.

"It's going to be okay now, alright? They're not here anymore. Even if they were, I swear that I will kill every last one of them before they can even touch you. I promise." Hajime swore, and this time, it wasn't one of those empty promises he had made in his deals with other mafia leaders. This time, he was true to his word.

He gingerly wiped the tears off Nagito's face, murmuring soothing things into his ear.

"It's alright. Let it all out. There's no one else in this room but you and me. All will be fine."

The albino's eyes watered again, and fatter tears leaked down his face. Hajime watched as the sobs racked Nagito's body, hiccups seizing him as he cried and cried.

Suddenly, Nagito's arms made their way to Hajime's neck and back, hugging the brunet.

The mafia lord was stunned momentarily, his arms hovering over the male's delicate body, unsure what to do.

Nagito's sobbing was loud against Hajime's ear, and a protective instinct clicked in his brain.

Hajime leaned in and placed a reassuring hand on the Grim Reaper's hair, pressing his face against his shoulder. His other arm wrapped protectively around Nagito's waist as he let the boy cry, chest heaving against his own.

He drew circles on Nagito's back, soothing the albino.

You really care for him, don't you? Izuru's tone was lighter somehow, different than the one he used normally.

Hajime hesitated briefly, thinking twice about his answer.

...Yes.

Izuru paused for a split second before he continued.

Then are you willing to go to great lengths in order to protect him?

Hajime's eyes fell to the mattress, swallowing the doubt in his throat. He hugged Nagito tighter as if someone was going to snatch him out of his arms and closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

And this time, he didn't hesitate when he replied.

Yes.
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OTP scenarios that make me go soft:

When the stronger person (Person A) breaks down in front of their partner (Person B).

Also, tragic backstories™.